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LOTS of US Water Plants Hit by Hacks

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  LOTS of US Water Plants Hit by Hacks c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2026-08-03 20:50 -0400
    Re: LOTS of US Water Plants Hit by Hacks rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-08-04 07:10 +0000
      Re: LOTS of US Water Plants Hit by Hacks "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-08-04 10:44 +0200
        Re: LOTS of US Water Plants Hit by Hacks rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-08-04 17:53 +0000
      Re: LOTS of US Water Plants Hit by Hacks The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2026-08-04 11:14 +0100
        Re: LOTS of US Water Plants Hit by Hacks rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2026-08-04 18:07 +0000

#89521 — LOTS of US Water Plants Hit by Hacks

https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/7-states-water-cyberattacks-fbi/

They identified the threat to “programmable logic controllers,”
or PLCs, in water systems and urged infrastructure owners to
remove publicly exposed PLCs from the internet.

Michael McAandrews, a former special agent with the FBI’s
cyberteam, told NewsNation that these attacks are common and
can occur on a massive scale, with bad actors exploiting parts
of our critical infrastructure tied to the internet, possibly
with simple, default passwords.

“What happens is, the attackers will scan the internet, and they’ll
look for the signature of known devices. When they find one, they
simply try the default password. If it hasn’t been changed, then
they’re in. When it comes to operational technology and things
like PLCs, a lot of these passwords are coded by the manufacturers,
and if they’re exposed to the internet, that signature comes back,
the attackers immediately try it, and if they can get in, they’ll
get in and see what they can do,” he said.

McAndrews said there were no ransom demands, so it appears the
attacks were trying to stoke fear.

. . .

   PLCs ... or the software used to diddle with them ?

   Fair GUESS, we're looking at a bunch of entities that
   were all sold the SAME control software. Find a way to
   crack one and you can crack 'em all.

   Note :

https://openautomationsoftware.com/knowledge-base/how-to-view-allenbradley-web-browser/

https://industrialmonitordirect.com/blogs/knowledgebase/displaying-plc-data-on-a-website-solutions-and-architectures

   though not claiming either corp was involved here.

   This was originally declared to be IRANIAN hacks, but
   no supporting info. Iran does do cyber-war (and the
   USA did cyberwar on Iran, most notably penetrating
   the Siemens industrial process controller used on all
   their uranium centrifuges - wrecking them). The odd
   localization of water plants hit says "local actor"
   more than "Iran".

   The actual attackers - could be anyone. Mere 'anarchists'
   or maybe some 12-year-old whose Daddy does IT work for
   such facilities and got a glimpse of the manual.

   Anyway, hardware PLCs are pretty stupid - you don't
   actually hack them directly. They're basically a
   replacement for a box of relays or equivs. Software
   PLCs - a uC or even better - are more "computers",
   oft net-connected these days. An Ard Uno would make
   a fair software PLC. A low-end PI even better.

   But 'computers' CAN be hacked.

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#89538

On Mon, 3 Aug 2026 20:50:24 -0400, c186282 wrote:

>    Anyway, hardware PLCs are pretty stupid - you don't actually hack
>    them directly. They're basically a replacement for a box of relays or
>    equivs. Software PLCs - a uC or even better - are more "computers",
>    oft net-connected these days. An Ard Uno would make a fair software
>    PLC. A low-end PI even better.

https://www.realpars.com/blog/plc-hardware

What's a hardware PLC? It amazed me to find that they still use the ladder 
logic metaphor. I thought that was a temporary crutch when they started 
showing up in the '70s.

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#89542

On 2026-08-04 09:10, rbowman wrote:
> On Mon, 3 Aug 2026 20:50:24 -0400, c186282 wrote:
> 
>>     Anyway, hardware PLCs are pretty stupid - you don't actually hack
>>     them directly. They're basically a replacement for a box of relays or
>>     equivs. Software PLCs - a uC or even better - are more "computers",
>>     oft net-connected these days. An Ard Uno would make a fair software
>>     PLC. A low-end PI even better.
> 
> https://www.realpars.com/blog/plc-hardware
> 
> What's a hardware PLC? It amazed me to find that they still use the ladder
> logic metaphor. I thought that was a temporary crutch when they started
> showing up in the '70s.
> 

I did a training course on them on 2002 and they certainly taught me 
ladder language (can be changed to text something). Coming from standard 
digital electronics, it is very weird on start, but then you grasp the 
idea and it is very useful.

It would not surprise me that they can be connected "somehow" to the LAN 
so that you can adjust parameters. Think of traffic lights, the city 
control room adjusts the timings according to hour or actual traffic 
conditions. Or they can obtain data which you want to save on computers.

If you connect them to the LAN, you can naively connect them to 
Internet. Saves moving your arse.

-- 
Cheers,
        Carlos E.R.
        ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#89558

On Tue, 4 Aug 2026 10:44:03 +0200, Carlos E. R. wrote:


> I did a training course on them on 2002 and they certainly taught me
> ladder language (can be changed to text something). Coming from standard
> digital electronics, it is very weird on start, but then you grasp the
> idea and it is very useful.

When I started out I worked with physical relay logic. There were large 
NEMA 12 cabinets filled with octal relays, 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4_uSYorMQk

A timer required a 3 1/4" hole in the panel to mount it, enter the 
Greenlee hydraulic hole punch. The schematic on the drawing board was a 
ladder diagram. Debugging, so to speak, was done with a roll of 16 gauge 
MW wire, strippers, and a screwdriver.

I never worked with PLCs and went directly to MCUs programmed either in 
assembler or FORTH. Despite its drawbacks FORTH is really useful for 
creating a domain specific 'language'. 

However industrial electricians had worked with relay logic for years, 
were familiar with the schematics, and were adept at trouble shooting. I 
thought the ladder interface was to ease them into the brave new world but 
it seems to have stuck. In it's way it was the original no-code IDE where 
you drag boxes around and connect them with no idea of what code is being 
generated. 

> 
> It would not surprise me that they can be connected "somehow" to the LAN
> so that you can adjust parameters. Think of traffic lights, the city
> control room adjusts the timings according to hour or actual traffic
> conditions. Or they can obtain data which you want to save on computers.

I doubt very much they are air gapped. A Mossad agent may have destroyed 
the Iranian centrifuges with a thumb drive but no way are people sneaking 
into multiple water plants.

There is a huge body of apocalyptic literature but those scenarios are 
fiction, aren't they?

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#89546

On 04/08/2026 08:10, rbowman wrote:
> On Mon, 3 Aug 2026 20:50:24 -0400, c186282 wrote:
> 
>>     Anyway, hardware PLCs are pretty stupid - you don't actually hack
>>     them directly. They're basically a replacement for a box of relays or
>>     equivs. Software PLCs - a uC or even better - are more "computers",
>>     oft net-connected these days. An Ard Uno would make a fair software
>>     PLC. A low-end PI even better.
> 
> https://www.realpars.com/blog/plc-hardware
> 
> What's a hardware PLC? It amazed me to find that they still use the ladder
> logic metaphor. I thought that was a temporary crutch when they started
> showing up in the '70s.
> 
I would assume its a chip with inputs , outputs, containing a 
programmable state table

So a state machine in silly con.

-- 
New Socialism consists essentially in being seen to have your heart in 
the right place whilst your head is in the clouds and your hand is in 
someone else's pocket.

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#89559

On Tue, 4 Aug 2026 11:14:58 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

> On 04/08/2026 08:10, rbowman wrote:
>> On Mon, 3 Aug 2026 20:50:24 -0400, c186282 wrote:
>> 
>>>     Anyway, hardware PLCs are pretty stupid - you don't actually hack
>>>     them directly. They're basically a replacement for a box of relays
>>>     or equivs. Software PLCs - a uC or even better - are more
>>>     "computers", oft net-connected these days. An Ard Uno would make a
>>>     fair software PLC. A low-end PI even better.
>> 
>> https://www.realpars.com/blog/plc-hardware
>> 
>> What's a hardware PLC? It amazed me to find that they still use the
>> ladder logic metaphor. I thought that was a temporary crutch when they
>> started showing up in the '70s.
>> 
> I would assume its a chip with inputs , outputs, containing a
> programmable state table
> 
> So a state machine in silly con.

Relay logic always was very much a state machine. When the moving part 
hits the limit switch, transition to the next state.

https://www.plctalk.net/forums/threads/eagle-signal-mta330a6-05-what-kind-
of-plc-or-control-is-this.129042/

Steppers made it very obvious. An input, be it a timer, limit switch, or 
pushbutton, would advance the drum one step. The solenoid had a very large 
lead counterbalance that made a pleasing 'thunk'. No question about a 
state change. Nubs on the cams determined which outputs were live for 
every step.

The earlier Eagle Signal steppers required breaking out a tab on the cam 
with needle nose pliers. Revising the programming required disassembling 
the whole thing to replace the cam. Later some genius redesigned the cams 
with removable nibs that snapped on the cam.

In the '70s the company I worked for built the controllers used for the 
sequenced airport landing lights (rabbit). The FAA, being rather slow 
moving, specified steppers with the wiring harness being laced rather than 
using those new fangled nylon TyWraps.  Fortunately the girls, excuse me, 
female electronics technicians, were skilled in macrame.

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